I look back on the seventies with fond nostalgia at my early year’s sea angling with my teenage friends who were junior members of the Combe Martin Sea Angling Club. The tackle we used then was generally inferior to the equipment we use today yet am I alone in having a strong connection with past memories when I glimpse familiar items of tackle? I was peering into the window of a second hand shop in Minehead last weekend. On display was a Mitchell 624 boat reel a workhorse of a reel that I well remember clamped to my ABU Pacific 6; where it went I cannot remember. I do however remember those days afloat on the sturdy old wooden boats of the day.

I was prompted to write this when a friend at work showed me an Intrepid Sea Streak he had undoubtedly looked after with a degree of care. I recalled that as youngsters we all treasured our latest tackle as if it was the latest sports car. The most popular shore reel of the day was the Ambassador 7000 with red side plates. I clearly remember being given a 7000 for either Christmas or Birthday. Other popular shore reels of the day were the Mitchell 602 and Mitchell 600. Both had black plastic or fibre glass spools and were very prone to bird-nesting. That brings back memories of tangled blue Sylcast line produced by Modern Arms.

If you Coarse fished you may well remember the Efgeeko Green Vinyl seat box? Everyone had a Mitchell 300 with a Match spool and a specimen spool. It would be interesting to see what vintage tackle pictures readers could send me. The appeal in old tackle is not in its usefulness but the memories that are rekindled of good days fishing.

I  was struggling to remember the small black reel that every Junior angler took fishing in the seventies. A quick search on Google brought the answer; the Black Prince. http://www.intrepidreel.com/reels.html

Chris Wilson read this article and sent me a couple more images including this Mitchel 602